The invention applies typically but not exclusively to fabricating porous semiconductor materials used in the field of photovoltaic cells, optoelectronic cells, and chemical or biochemical sensors.
Document US 2002/0119663 describes a so-called “electroless” solution, i.e. a solution that does not require the use of an electric current between two electrodes, for the purpose of fabricating a porous semiconductor material.
That solution comprises a fluoride complex, said complex being prepared by dissolving a metallic element in hydrofluoric acid.
The metallic element is typically selected from: titanium (Ti); manganese (Mn); iron (Fe); zirconium (Zr); and hafnium (Hf); and it presents a redox potential that is negative relative to a hydrogen electrode at 25° C.
The method of fabricating a porous semiconductor material according to that document consists in putting the surface of a silicon type semiconductor material into contact with the solution containing the fluoride complex in order to form pores in the surface of said material.
Nevertheless, that method presents the drawback of presenting very slow reaction kinetics in order to form said porous material.
The reaction kinetics for forming pores to a depth of about 150 nanometers (nm) from the surface of the silicon material is not less than half a day, and more particularly 18 hours (h).
That type of method is thus difficult to apply on an industrial scale.
The technical problem to be solved by the subject matter of the present invention is to propose a novel solution enabling the problems of the state of the art to be avoided, in particular by offering a solution that enables a porous semiconductor material to be fabricated in a manner that is simple, fast, and inexpensive.